Congressional Record, Volume 149 Issue 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)

[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4027-H4028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

GRANTING EASEMENT TO THE LEWIS AND CLARK INTERPRETIVE CENTER

Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 255) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to grant an
easement to facilitate access to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive
Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:

H.R. 255

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO GRANT EASEMENT.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior is
authorized to grant an easement to Otoe County, Nebraska, for
the purpose of constructing and maintaining an access road
between the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska
City, Nebraska, and each of the following roads:
(1) Nebraska State Highway 2.
(2) Otoe County Road 67.
(b) Location of Road.--The access road referred to in
subsection (a) shall not be located, in whole or in part, on
private property.
(c) Use of Federal Funds.--No funds from the Department of
the Interior may be used for design, construction,
maintenance, or operation of the access road referred to in
subsection (a).

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich).
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 255, as introduced by the gentleman from Nebraska
(Mr. Bereuter) and amended by the Committee on Resources, would
authorize the Secretary of the Interior to grant an easement to Otoe
County, Nebraska, to facilitate the construction of a road to access
the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska. The
committee amendment simply states that the road will not be located on
private property and that no funds from the Department of the Interior
will be used for the construction and operation of the access road.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 255, introduced by the gentleman
from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), is a fairly simple and straightforward
piece of legislation. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is being
developed in Nebraska City, Nebraska; and the local county would like
an access road to link the center to the main roads in the area.
H.R. 255 simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to grant
such an easement provided that the road is only located on public lands
and that road is developed and maintained at no expense to the Federal
Government. Mr. Speaker, we have no objection to the consideration of
H.R. 255 and support its adoption today.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).
(Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks, and include extraneous material.)
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 255. This
legislation is noncontroversial. It is one introduced by this Member.
I very much appreciate the support and assistance of the gentleman
from

[[Page H4028]]

California (Chairman Pombo) and the ranking member, the gentleman from
West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), as well as the gentleman from California
(Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, (Mrs.
Christensen), for moving this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, what this facilitates is the granting of an easement by
the National Park Service to Otoe County, Nebraska, so that a road may
be constructed to the Missouri River Basin Lewis and Clark Interpretive
Trails and Visitors Center, expected to open in July of next year in
time for the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Otoe
County government will construct and maintain the road, but it is
essential that we have a road for visitors to visit the visitors
center.
I introduced this legislation originally in the 107th Congress. It
was not acted upon. Time is running short; and, therefore, I very much
appreciate the fact that the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. DeLay), and his staff facilitated the presentation of the bill for
the consideration of the House today.
This visitors center will focus primarily on the flora and fauna
discovered by Lewis and Clark, well documented for the Nation as they
paved the way for the settlement of the great American West.
Mr. Speaker, this Member rises in strong support of H.R. 255. This is
a non-controversial, but very necessary bill. It would simply grant an
easement to Otoe County in Nebraska allowing it to build an access road
to the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trails &
Visitors Center which is now under construction at a site adjacent to
Nebraska City, Nebraska.
This Member originally introduced this legislation during the 107th
Congress when it became clear that the National Park Service could not
grant this easement without congressional action. Otoe County has
agreed to construct and maintain the access road.
This Member would like to begin by thanking the distinguished
gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo), the Chairman of the Resources
Committee, and the distinguished gentleman from West Virginia (Mr.
Rahall), the Ranking Member of the Committee, for their assistance in
expediting this legislation.
When completed, the access road facilitated by H.R. 255 will lead
visitors from the State Highway Route 2 Expressway to an outstanding
Lewis and Clark interpretive center. The center is scheduled to be
completed in early 2004 with the grand opening set on July 30, 2004,
which coincides with the Lewis and Clark signature event in Nebraska at
historic Fort Atkinson, the site of the famous ``Council Bluff'' in
Nebraska where Lewis and Clark had their first council with Native
American leaders.
The Nebraska City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center will find an
important role by focusing on the flora and fauna encountered and
documented by the expedition. Across the country, the bicentennial
commemoration is expected to draw millions of Americans and foreign
visitors to sites along the Lewis and Clark trail over the next several
years. This new center will certainly be one of the must-see stops.
Much like the Expedition itself, this project has had to overcome
numerous challenges and obstacles. Its success is due to the remarkable
foresight, persistence and dedication of many individuals. This Member
has had a longstanding interest in the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Starting from a first reading of Lewis and Clark's journals, many years
ago, this Member has always been thrilled with the story of this
extraordinary and courageous journey which was so important in the
settlement of our region and the westward expansion of our Nation and
people.
This Member's legislative efforts related to the Lewis and Clark
Expedition began more than two decades ago with the authorship of an
amendment to the National Trails System Act in 1980 to include
provisions for a series of interpretive markets along the Lewis and
Clark Trail in Nebraska and for the authorization of an interpretive
center in each of the states through which the Lewis and Clark Trail
passes. It has taken Nebraska about 22 years to reach the point of
constructing a center, but the results will be worth the effort.
In 1987, Congress specifically authorized construction of a Lewis and
Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center in Nebraska to
explain the significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The same
year, at this Member's request, Congress appropriated $25,000 for
historical markers at Lewis and Clark campsites in Nebraska and $30,000
for initial planning of a trail interpretation center, both under the
1980 authorization this Member authored.
The National Park Service plan issued in 1991 recommended that the
center be located in Nebraska City. The same year, the Park Service
acquired a 65-acre tract of land for the center. This tract, along with
adjacent land that was later donated, provides a panoramic view of the
Missouri River, much as Lewis and Clark would have viewed it. In fact,
two stops on the river at Nebraska City in 1804 are recorded in their
journals.
The story of the incredible Lewis and Clark expedition has appeal for
Americans of all ages and backgrounds and presents an opportunity for a
unifying experience. In the coming months and years, the public will
undoubtedly increase its demands for more information about Lewis and
Clark and their bold and courageous adventures.
When Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, the United States had only
about five and a half million people all concentrated in the eastern
third of the continent, primarily along the coast. As a result of the
Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the size of the country nearly doubled and
the stage was set for a period of unparalleled development and
progress.
But first, the new acquisition had to be explored. President
Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to ``explore the
Missouri River & such principal streams of it, as, by its course and
communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the
Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, or any other river may offer the most
direct and practicable water communication across this continent for
the purposes of commerce.''
Lewis and Clark departed St. Louis on May 14, 1804, and returned to
St. Louis 28 months later on September 23, 1806. That difficult but
exciting journey covered 8,000 miles through the area which now
constitutes the states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Along the way, Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery encountered
formidable challenges that easily could have thwarted their mission.
However, they continued to keep their focus firmly on the ultimate
goal. During their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back, the Lewis and
Clark expedition documented numerous scientific and geographic
discoveries and helped pave the way for the United States to become a
great world power.
This Member believes that passage of H.R. 255, will play a small, but
vital role in permitting ready access to the new visitors center and
thus increase the attention to the bicentennial activities. As someone
with a long-standing interest in the Expedition and a co-chair of the
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Congressional Caucus, this Member is
pleased to have H.R. 255 considered on the Floor and urges his
colleagues to support it.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 255, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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